About the author

I am Mark de Vries, a 35-year-old lay Catholic from the Netherlands. I have been Catholic (and a Christian) since my baptism at the start of Easter of 2007, so experience and a lifelong education in the faith are not things I can fall back on. As a consequence I write as an interested layman with no basis in anything else than my short life as a Catholic.

About this blog

I am a Dutch Catholic from the north of the Netherlands. In this blog I wish to provide accurate information on current affairs in the Church and the relation with society. It is important for Catholics to have knowledge about their own faith and Church, especially since these are frequently misrepresented in many places. My blog has two directions, although I use only English in my writings: on the one hand, I want to inform Dutch faithful - hence the presence of a page with Dutch translations of texts which I consider interesting or important -, and on the other hand, I want to inform the wider world of what is going on in the Church in the Netherlands.

It is sometimes tempting to be too negative about such topics. I don't want to do that: my approach is an inherently positive one, and loyal to the Magisterium of the Church. In many quarters this is an unfamiliar idea: criticism is often the standard approach to the Church, her bishops and priests and other representatives. I will be critical when that is warranted, but it is not my standard approach.

For a personal account about my reasons for becoming and remaining Catholic, go read my story: Why am I Catholic?

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People who want to contact me with questions or information regarding my blog or other Catholic social media projects, can do so via Twitter (see below) or via incaeloetinterra@gmail.com

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The above means that I have the right to be recognised as the author of both the original blog posts, as well as any translations I make. Everyone is free to share my content, but with credit in the form of my name or a link to my blog.

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Over the years, my blog posts have been picked up by various other blogs, websites and media outlets.

All links to, quotations of and use as source material of my blog posts is greatly appreciated. It's what I blog for: to further awareness and knowledge in a positive critical spirit. Credits are equally liked, of course.

Sancta Maria, hortus conclusus, ora pro nobis!

Sancte Domenico Savio, ora pro nobis!

Pope Francis

Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Rome, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the Servants of God

Bishop Gerard de Korte

Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden

Willem Cardinal Eijk

Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto, Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht

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College of Cardinals

Day: June 8, 2012

It seems that the Dutch bishops are gearing up for the Year of Faith – set to start in October – by focussing squarely on the source and summit of our faith: the Eucharist. Following the brochure by Roermond’s bishops on Jesus Christ, the Eucharist and Communion, and a letter by Cardinal Eijk in which he emphasised the proper way of celebrating the Eucharist, the Dutch Bishops’ Conference now release a letter about Holy Communion (my translation here).

The letter, titled ‘Worthy Communion’ focusses on the conditions for receiving Communion. An important part of the text also focusses on the order of conduct if a person or group tries to use Holy Mass or the reception of Communion as a form of protest. The bishops firmly state that no Communion may be distributed under such circumstances and they expect the faithful to understand that a spiritual Communion is proper then.

Of course, we’ve seen such situations in recent years, when representatives of homosexual interest groups tried to receive Communion despite not being Catholic or, if they were, hardly in line with the teachings of the Church.

Let’s see what this letter may lead to, especially in the upcoming Year of Faith. One thing is clear, we won’t have a proper Catholic life and understanding if we don’t bother to invest in Christ’s sacrifice in the Eucharist; in the way we speak about it, think about it, consider it, reflect upon it, pray before it and, certainly, how we receive it.